I put greek yogurt in CustomMealPlanner because its protein density is so high that its nearly as good as protein powder whereas normal yogurt just has too high a percent of carb calories to be an optimal protein source. Why? What is the difference between the way that greek yogurt and regular yogurt are made? Very little!
All yogurts start by heating up milk and adding bacteria to ferment it. In fact, both types of yogurt even use the same bacterial cultures – Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. After fermentation you end up with protein-goo (technical term) and a whey-ish liquid. The whey has most of the calcium, sodium and carbs. The difference between the two yogurts is that greek yogurt filters out a lot more of the whey liquid, and thus the carbs, than regular yogurt does.
So basically what greek yogurt is a natural form of “protein powder” where you use simple and natural techniques that have been around for probably thousands of years. Take cows milk, skim the floating fat off the top and you are left with nonfat milk. Mix with bacteria, let ferment, pour goo thru a cheesecloth letting the whey pass thru and you are left with greek yogurt :)
